(CNN) –On the anniversary of the September 11 attacks, presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama each take the stage to discuss service and civic engagement in a forum at Columbia University.
What do you think of their ideas? How does the role of service determine what kind of nation we live in? What does national service mean to you?
Along with CNN Senior Political Correspondent Candy Crowley, CNN Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider, CNN Political Analyst Roland Martin, and Republican strategist Bay Buchanan, thousands of you weighed in.
Click "comments" below for a look at the entire conversation.
From CNN Politics
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Mike
Why does supporting your country always equal military service. There are many ways for one to serve his or her country that do not require military service!
Roland hit the nail on the head. Mccain is all of a sudden preaching "CHANGE", but hasn't Obama been campaigning on this idea for the last year? Nice Try Mccain
Isn't there value in education in the US anymore?
Sarah Palin received her bachelor's degree (B.A.) in journalism after transferring five times in six years: Hawaii Pacific University, North Idaho College, University of Idaho, Matanuska-Susitna College, University of Idaho again. None of the colleges have entry requirements.
There are no records of any honors achieved. Sarah hasn't released her records to the public, normally an indication that no honors were received and the grades were enough to graduate.
She could be a heartbeat away from the leadership of the free world. Would you want your doctor to have that kind of education?
Barack Obama received his law degree from Harvard University.
Why did Obama accept the Rockefeller endorsement. Rockefellers are "Big Oil". Is Barack in the pocket of "Big Oil"?
You tell em Roland. Change is an Obama record and nothing beats an original
John McCain just admitted on the Presidential Forum that he is sometimes divorced from the challenges of everyday people. Finally, the truth.
Bay -
If McCain can change Washington because he's been there so long then how can Obama choosing Joe Biden be a bad thing. He's been there longer and also is very familiar with how things work.
I think obama made a serious strategic error in not selecting clinton as his v.p. choice. The republican party outsmarted obama's camp and as a result of palin, the catholic and soccer mom vote will put mccain in the whitehouse...
My husband has serve 20 years of military service, he was shot , stabbed and now is suffering from a spinal cord injury. I haven't heard not one time McCain offering to help him. Veterans should stand up and say hey we are here and we count too.
I would like to know was it 'unethical' for Palin to promote the need for money for a 'bridge to know where', gets the money but use it for something else besides the sole purpose of the original need?
Would this be considered governmental stealing?
OH COME ON
You call yourselves professional news people.
They were insulting OBAMA not trying to insult community organizers.
If this is the quality of your Political reporting you NEED to go back to school.
SHAME ON YOU ALL
Best on TV ..... HA
All-
McCain is praising faith-based organizations left and right, and implying that there are so many organizations not dependent on the government that can do service. Yet, don't both he and Obama support federal funding for faith-based organizations? He's talking in circles. His words simply don't match his (recent) record. Obama changes his mind, but book to book and speech to speech and vote to vote he never seems as willing to mislead as McCain.
Is Charles Gibson going to ask palin about when she was mayor and she asked the librarian three times if she would remove books if palin asked her and the librarian said no....and then was fired. by palin?
Roland, I think Obama need to sharpen his message of change.
hey roland
isnt it wrong for mccain to be criticizing obama
He might be able to bar his campaign if it were really his Roland.
But that's just my opinion...
Kim, have you noticed that he keeps avoiding the question? I beg everyone, listen to what he says, then compare it with what he's done.
Roland I agree. McCain can show that he's going to bring innovatiion to DC but first inventing his own campaign theme.
Excuse me Ms. Buchanan. Can you please keep it real on the Blog. McCain didn't get the "Change Message" from the "American People". He got that from the Senator from Illinois.
McShame is riding on the the orchestrated myth of "maveric & reformer " of which he is neither. He is nothing but a Bush clone (he even loved Rumsfield !! yuck !!!!) Now they're attempting to create a mythical Palin whose tape is "stuck" on the same untrue comments .They have to tutor her before she can release another recital ! This is the real world & real lives they toy with ! * is more than enough !!!! Obama / Biden 08!!!!
Roland Martin for President!
Both Canidates have the "idea" that something is wrong with our system.. But how can we fix it. No one person (or two) can fix it.. Congress controls our country and it is filled with folks that have made a career out of politics... Until we are rid of them we can not "fix'" anything..
he is flip flopping on the community servce issue? which one is it gonna be here Im confused. Is it ok or not ok to be a commnuntiy organizer I dont know?
Are we discussing service, as in "community organizing?"
Mcain has no clue what he is talking abt. His convention was completely hypocritical. Unbelievable.
You are ur campaign... dont blame others for ur own faults.